


Frivolous

by servantofclio



Series: Julian Shepard [10]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 00:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13446882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/servantofclio/pseuds/servantofclio
Summary: It was such a frivolous thing, Tali was more than a little embarrassed for even wanting it.





	Frivolous

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theherocomplex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theherocomplex/gifts).



It was such a frivolous thing, Tali was more than a little embarrassed for even wanting it. Especially in the midst of the war, when everyone was struggling, and Tali had plenty of things to be grateful for. The homeworld. Her friends. Shepard. Any one of these things ought to be enough. She shouldn’t need silly fripperies on top of everything else.

Besides, growing up in the Migrant Fleet, she’d never had such things, anyway. Quarians didn’t need a wardrobe full of clothes, and didn’t have space for such things. One or two sets of suit-wraps, that was enough: made of sturdy, practical fabric that wouldn’t tear easily, embellished with dye and embroidery, easily folded flat and stored away. Functional and beautiful at the same time, like all the best quarian work. Tali didn’t truly _need_ anything more.

But she’d never been able to stop herself from looking at pretty dresses in shops, and imagining, just a little. When she saw her first real dress shops on the Presidium, back on her Pilgrimage, she’d been almost unable to speak for an hour. Ashley had laughed at her even while she draped an arm around Tali’s shoulders. Tali had paused on Illium between missions, watching holographic models of asari in elegant draped gowns slowly rotate. She’d even wistfully snapped pics of a view of the dresses she most fancied.

Even now, during the war, the Citadel still had its fancy shops and boutiques. Tali slowed down every time she passed one, stealing glances at bright fabrics and frills and flounces. On the Citadel, they showed them on all kinds of models: asari, dalatrasses, human and turian women. Never quarians, though. That didn’t stop Tali from thinking about how they might fit her. Anything with a full skirt ought to work, she told herself. She was shaped enough like asari or human women through the torso that any dress should be easily adjustable.

Not that she was going to get any such thing, of course.

Liara noticed, one day as she and Tali were out on an errand. She slowed her steps as Tali did, and paused while Tali peered into the shop window. Guiltily, Tali told herself she’d only take a moment. She didn’t usually indulge herself like this while anyone was with her.

“That one’s in your colors,” Liara said, pointing out one of the dresses in the revolving display. 

Tali flushed, embarrassed that Liara had noticed. Liara was right, though: the dress was in a violet-and-gold print, soft and blurry like watercolors, with a full skirt that drifted as the hologram turned, and pretty flutter sleeves. “I was only looking. We can be going,” she said.

Liara only smiled at her. “There’s no harm in looking, Tali. It’s a pretty dress. I’m sure it would be lovely on you.”

“Oh,” Tali said, unable to shed the image from her mind’s eye. She added hastily, “It’s so unnecessary, though. Not very practical at all.”

“Hm,” Liara said. “It’s all right to treat yourself to a little unnecessary luxury now and then, though.”

“I guess,” Tali said dubiously. Life in the Migrant Fleet didn’t allow for much in the way of unnecessary luxuries, especially if you weren’t sharing them with your crewmates.

Liara laughed at Tali’s tone. “I suppose that’s not very quarian, is it?” she said, immediately understanding Tali’s thought. Sometimes Tali’s friends knew her too well. “I think you deserve a little treat, though.”

“Ohhh, I don’t know…” Tali groaned, even though there was a selfish little flutter of excitement somewhere in her chest. “It’s just… decorative, and I’m sure I couldn’t wear it over the suit.”

“Well, you might be right about that,” Liara said. “Wouldn’t you enjoy it, all the same?”

Tali hesitated. She certainly would, just to try it out. She’d never worn anything like it. She’d never really worn anything other than her envirosuit, or the practical coveralls quarians sometimes wore in clean spaces.

Liara leaned closer and added, “Don’t you think Shepard might enjoy seeing you wearing something different?”

“Shops like this don’t like quarians coming in,” Tali said.

Liara frowned, her expression turning hard and severe. “Then it’s a good thing I’m here, isn’t it?” She looped her arm through Tali’s and marched toward the door of the shop.

Twenty minutes later they walked out again. Tali had a bag stamped with the shop’s logo in her hand, and a written guarantee that the synthsilk of the dress would hold up to a sterilization process.

She could hardly wait to get through the day’s necessities and up to Shepard’s quarters. Their quarters, since he’d invited her to stay there. After a month, the roomy cabin almost felt like home.

Tali had gotten much faster at stripping out of her suit, with all the practice she’d been getting lately. As always, she took her first breath of unfiltered air slowly, taking in the taste of it, and then she eagerly reached for the dress.

It felt cool and smooth as it slid against her skin, like dry liquid, a wildflower-garden of colors that swirled as the fabric shifted. She let it slide over her hands and arms first, wondering at the sensation, and was just sliding the dress on when the door opened.

“Hey, Tali, I —”

Tali yelped. “Close your eyes, Shepard!” Keelah, she’d had a vision, where she tried the dress on and then was waiting for him to finish up his calls. It could have been so romantic

“What? Why?” he said, sounding utterly confused, but he did, in fact, close his eyes.

“There’s something I wanted to show you,” Tali said, hurrying to get the dress on.

“So I’m… not supposed to look at it?”

“Not until I tell you, silly.” Fortunately the dress slipped on easily enough. Tali shivered at the feeling of smooth, soft fabric sliding into place, hugging her back and breasts and swinging out from her hips. She made an experimental twirl. The skirt flared out and swirled back around her legs just like she’d hoped. She stole a quick look in the mirror to make sure everything looked like it was supposed to.

As it happened, she looked better than she’d hoped. The colors set off her eyes and skin beautifully, and the shape highlighted her slim waist and rounded hips.

“Okay,” she said, a little breathless, as she turned to face Shepard. “You can open your eyes now.”

Shepard opened his eyes. As soon as they focused on her, his jaw dropped, which made Tali feel shamefully smug. It took him a few seconds to find his voice. “Wow, Tali.”

“Do you like it?” She twirled again, just to feel the skirt swishing against her legs again. Oh, she should try dancing in this, it would probably feel amazing.

“Yeah,” he said. “You look incredible. Where…” He trailed off, coming down the steps toward her.

“I saw it on the Citadel,” Tali said. She closed the distance and bounced up on her toes so she could put her hands on his shoulders and plant a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. He put his hands on her waist and she noticed that, too, how the warmth of his touch soaked through the fabric. Every particle of her body felt sensitized by the way the fabric shifted and whispered again her skin.

“It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.” Shepard bent to kiss her properly, the heat of his mouth sending shivers down her spine. Tali slid her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his broad shoulders shifting as he pulled her in closer. She leaned into the embrace, soaking in the warmth closing in around her, while he ran his hands up her back and down again, cupping her bottom. Her skirt swished and slipped against her legs and hips with every move she made. Every move the two of them made.

She was breathing faster when the kiss broke off. So was he; she could feel the rise and fall of his chest, pressed against hers. “I know it’s silly,” she said, “but I always admired pretty dresses, and we never wear this sort of thing on the Fleet, so…”

“Tali, as far as I’m concerned, you can have all the pretty dresses you want.”

She hugged him tighter.

“I, um.” His voice dropped lower. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in taking it off?”

Tali laughed. “Well… I’m not wearing anything underneath, so it doesn’t _have_ to come off…”

Shepard laughed, too. Picking her up without any noticeable effort, he started toward the bed.


End file.
